Juana de Laban Dance Collection

When Juana de Laban learned in 1978 that her life was coming to an end, she instructed her cousin Elizabeth Hecht Miller, executrix of her estate, to transfer ownership of her extensive dance collection to Robyn Baker Flatt. Juana de Laban and Flatt met in 1954 when Flatt's father, Dr. Paul Baker, founding director of the Dallas Theatre Center (DTC), engaged Laban as Associate Professor for the drama department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Although Laban had instructed her cousin to give the collection to Flatt, both Miller and Flatt believed it best to donate the collection to the DTC for tax reasons. Following Laban's death in 1978, her cousin Elizabeth Miller transferred ownership of the dance collection to the DTC. This collection remained housed at the DTC for four years. In 1982, the DTC was in a period of turmoil. Paul Baker was fired from his twenty-six year position as Artistic Director of the DTC. Fearing that the collection was about to be given to a repository in another city Flatt quickly arranged for the transfer of the collection to the Dallas Public Library (DPL).

Juana de Laban von Varalja was an internationally recognized teacher, performer, choreographer, director, author, critic, and theatre and dance history scholar. As a dance educator, Laban influenced the development of the pedagogy of dance history and research.
Juana de Laban, the eldest daughter of Rudolf von Laban and Maya Lenares, was born on October 21, 1910. Laban's mother was a famous Italian opera singer and her father was a world-famous movement analyst, philosopher, writer, director, choreographer, and dancer who developed the Labanotation dance notation system. Laban's early years were dominated by the tutelage of her father. By 1934, she had earned a diploma from the Royal Hungarian Academy in Budapest where she specialized in the national dances of Hungary. During the mid-1930's, she toured Austria, Switzerland, and Germany as a solo danseuse and served as a critic for The Dancing Times and Der Tanz. Her understanding of the arts and fluency in five languages provided her with a world picture that was to guide her professional career.

At the onset of WWII in 1938, she immigrated to the United States. In 1939, Laban and dance partner, Frances Bartha, toured together and opened the Laban Dance Studio in New York City. In 1941, she began her American academic training at Yale University, completing a Master of Fine Arts in 1943 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in theatre arts in 1947.

After graduation, Laban shifted her focus away from performing to concentrate on her role as educator. She built her career in academia through a series of posts in American public institutions, teaching and speaking on modern educational dance, folk dancing, and the role of dance as part of a fine arts curriculum. In 1954, Paul Baker, chairman of the drama department at Baylor University, recruited Laban to head the graduate division for drama, where she taught stage movement and theatre history. The next eight years were exceptionally fruitful for Laban: developing new courses; spearheading a national trend to train actors in movement; directing and choreographing student productions; and teaching in South America on a Fulbright Lectureship.

In 1963, Laban accepted a position at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she returned to a position within a dance department. Here she concentrated on teaching, publishing, and speaking about the importance of scholarly research and the study of dance history. As an early member of the Committee on Research in Dance (CORD), Laban helped shape the development of this organization. By 1967, Laban became so committed to scholarly research that she founded a private business, the Dance Research Associates, to perform research assignments on a request basis.

Because of her distinguished reputation, Southern Methodist University in Dallas recruited Laban to head the burgeoning graduate dance program in 1971. Upon her return to Dallas, Laban renewed her association with the DTC and Paul Baker. Robyn Baker Flatt, a former student and Baker's daughter, appointed Laban to the DTC graduate program in 1973. Ill health forced her retirement to Temple, TX where she died of cancer in 1978, at the age of 68.

The scope of the Juana de Laban Dance Collection housed at the Dallas Public Library is so broad that it can serve as an important general resource for international research on the many idioms of dance and for the study of human movement. The size of the collection is impressive. The collection consists of 45 cubic feet of manuscript and non-manuscript items, 1,000 volumes of printed materials and 1,100 issues of 20 serial subscriptions.

The manuscript and non-manuscript items in the Juana de Laban Dance Collection consist of 63 boxes of materials stored in the Texas/Dallas History and Archives Division. The handwritten and typed manuscript items include correspondence, notebooks, card files, drafts of articles, book reviews, lectures, and speeches. Non-manuscript materials, such as photographs, slides, glass transparencies, motion pictures, film strips, audio tapes, music scores, and dance notation scores are also present in the collection.

One seventh of the collection's books were written in foreign languages. Most of these required original Library of Congress cataloging. The books, journals, and phonograph recordings have been dispersed into the Fine Arts Division holdings. Other textual items which do not bear a direct relationship to Juana de Laban's research and writings were incorporated within the vertical files of the Fine Arts Division.

The collection is strongest in those materials which pertain to: Laban's professional life and contributions to dance; her father, Rudolph von Laban, and his theories regarding dance and human movement; Albrecht Knust, a researcher who aided in the development of Labanotation; Ruth St. Denis, an early architect of modern dance; dance in Germany at the turn of the century; and various contemporary and historical movement notation systems.

Arrangement

Following are repeated practices observed by the compiler of this register:

Abbreviations: The names used most frequently throughout the register, Juana de Laban and Rudolf von Laban, have been abbreviated to JdL and RvL respectively.

Correspondence: The name of the writer of a letter is given first, the recipient, after the slash. Two or more writers indicate a joint letter.

Fragments: Incomplete documents have been designated as fragments. In many cases, only a portion of the identifying information regarding the document is available. In this case, what is known is given and what is not known is omitted.

Photographs: Photographs from the same piece, taken at the same time, have been grouped in a single folder or series of folders. The same is true for portraits. Whenever photographs of a single artist appear in separate folders, it has been assumed that they represent different dance pieces, costumes, or time periods. Unless otherwise designated, performers in a titled work were photographed in costume.

Titles: Most titles have been taken from the manuscripts themselves.
Titles of articles, lectures, dance concerts have been placed in quotation marks. Titles of books and journals and performances of plays and major dance works have been underlined. Minor works have been placed in quotation marks. At times, a title has not been identified and a descriptive title has been supplied within brackets by the compiler to elucidate the subject matter. Entries that have not been capitalized, such as miscellaneous research materials, indicate a description of the contents of a folder rather than a title.

?: A question mark denotes uncertainty on the part of the compiler. For example, a question mark following a name has been placed there because the handwriting was illegible.

This collection is arranged topically. Due to size, this inventory has been divided into two separate units which can be accessed by clicking on the highlighted text.

Series 1 - Personal Documents (Boxes 1-2) 1900-1978

This series contains two subseries spanning the years 1900 to 1978: LABAN FAMILY PAPERS and VISUAL WORKS. LABAN FAMILY PAPERS consists of miscellaneous official documents, professional papers of other family members, JdL personal notes, financial receipts and correspondence. Folder arrangement is hierarchical and chronological. VISUAL WORKS consist primarily of photographs of family and personal associates. Folder arrangement is chronological.

Box

Folder

1

LABAN FAMILY PAPERS

1

Official document granting nobility to JdL's grandfather and all legal offspring (carbon copy in Hungarian), 1928

Series II - Educational Training - Yale University (Boxes 3-5)

This material is divided into two subseries reflecting JdL's years at Yale University, 1942-1947. The first subseries, MASTER of FINE ARTS, contains holograph and typescript notes of class lectures, holograph drafts of thesis components, and JdL's diploma. The folders are arranged chronologically. The second subseries, DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY, includes correspondence pertaining to JdL's dissertation. In addition, this subseries contains original and photostat copies of historical research materials, holograph drafts of dissertation components, and JdL's diploma. Again, the folders are arranged chronologically. See also oversized box 56, folders 1-3.

Series III - Educational Activities (Boxes 6-10)

JdL's professional educational career from 1937 to 1976 is reflected in this series. The first subseries includes JdL's resumes. After which, educational affiliations comprise the major divisions within this series. There is an alphabetical arrangement of folders for each university, college, studio or dance camp subseries. Based on the presence of documents in the collection, each subseries is hierarchically ordered from the general to the specific. For example, general university and departmental information precedes more specific course materials. Within each folder, the records are arranged chronologically. College catalogs, lesson plans, class and lecture notes, reports, student papers, bibliographies, clippings, research materials, and photographs make up the remaining contents of this series.
An exception to this order is the arrangement of the South American universities associated with JdL's Fulbright Lectureship and Rockefeller
Grant. These have been grouped under the heading Fulbright Lectureship. See also oversized box 56, folders 4-8.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES - Notes (holograph) on An Experimental Investigation of the Phenomonology of Kinesthetic Perception in Its Relation to Certain Measures of Movement Capacity by Elizabeth Vickery Hubbard, n.d.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, Ann Arbor, MI - Student translation of 1738-1938 History of Ballet Department of Petersburg Theatre School Today Leningrad State School of Choreography (typescript) by M. Borisoglevsky for Education F 130 The Dance in Folkways, Art, and Education, ca. 1948

Series IV - Writings (Boxes 11-12)

Scope and Contents

This series concentrates on JdL's professional role as critic, interpreter, researcher, historian, and scholar. The first subseries titled PUBLISHED comprises JdL's own writings which began in the early 1930's and continued through the remainder of her life. While not comprehensive, this subseries reflects the broad scope of her interests and the international recognition she received as a dance scholar. See also oversized box 56, folder 9. Grouped in the second subseries are UNPUBLISHED which were found in the collection but have no apparent publisher. Finally, the third subseries, ABOUT JdL, contains only three pieces, representing an anomaly in contrast to her acknowledged stature as a dance educator. The folders within each subseries are arranged chronologically, including not only bound journals, but also research notes and materials, holograph drafts, and annotated typescripts.

Abstract of "Existential Thought and Feeling in Modern Dance," plus two draft copies (typescript), In: Report of the Thirty-Ninth Annual Conference of the Western Society of Physical Education of College Women, Asilomar, CA, Nov. 7-10, pp. 82-83 1963

51

"Modus Operandi", In: Quest, Tucson, AZ, pp. 15-18 April 1964

52

"The Art of Movement for the Stage", In: The Secondary School Theatre Conference News, Harvey, IL, pp. 9-10 Fall 1964

Review of Three Pamphlets Collected: Blast at Ballet, 1937; Ballet Alphabet, 1939; What Ballet is All About, 1959 by Lincoln Kirstein and Modern Dance Forms in Relation to the Other Modern Arts by Louis Horst and Carroll Russell (typescript), plus draft copy (typescript), In: Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, pp. 116-118 Fall 1968

"Choreography with Film," plus research notes, In: Research In Dance: Problems and Possibilities: The Proceedings of the Preliminary Conference on Research in Dance held May 26-28, 1967, New York, pp. 129-132 1968

75

Review of American Folk Art: The Art and Spirit of a People by Peter Welch, In: Western Folklore, pp. 70-71 Jan. 1969

Review of Song, Dance and Poetry of the Court of Scotland under King James VI by Helena Meanie Shire (typescript), In: Modern Language Journal, pp. 359-360 May 1970

81

Reviews of Alphabet of Movements of the Human Body by V. I. Stepanov; Pre-Classic Dance Forms by Louis Horst; Dance, A Short History Theatrical Dancing by Lincoln Kirstein; Artists of the Dance by Lillian Moore; and Anthology of Impulse: Annual of Contemporary Dance, 1951-1966 edited by Marian Van Tuyl (typescript), In: Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, pp. 556-557 Summer 1970

82

"Perspective Retrospective: Conference Summary," plus draft copy (photostat), In: Dance History Research: Perspectives from Related Arts and Disciplines: The Proceedings of the Second Conference on Research in Dance held July 4-6, 1969, New York, pp. 107-112 1970

83

"Urgent Research in Dance", In: Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropology and Ethnological Research, Vienna, Austria, No. 12, pp. 13-16 1970

Annotated reviews of Body Movement for Children by Marion North; The Use of Stanislavsky Within Modern Dance by Valentina Litvinoff; and The Ballerinas, From the Court of Louis XIV to Pavlova by Parmenia Migel, In: Educational Theatre Journal, Washington D.C., pp. 472-473 Dec. 1972

Box

Folder

12

PUBLISHED (cont.)

1

Institute of Court Dances of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods held Aug. 29-Sept. 7, 1970 and Aug. 22-Sept. 4, 1971, edited by JdL, New York, 1972

2

Submitted draft of Part I (carbon copy) of Institute of Court Dances of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods, ca. 1972

3

Submitted draft of Parts II and III (carbon copy) of Institute of Court Dances of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods, ca. 1972

4

Submitted draft of Part IV (carbon copy) of Institute of Court Dances of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods, ca. 1972

5

Submitted draft of Part V, Summary, and Biographical Notes (carbon copy) of Institute of Court Dances of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods, ca. 1972

Series V - Lectures (Box 13)

Throughout her life, JdL conducted an active dialog with people both inside and outside the dance world. She maintained a high profile as a public speaker at professional conferences, university lecture series, as well as the community at large. The folders in this series are arranged chronologically from 1940 to 1976. Every folder does not contain an actual lecture. In some cases, clippings, programs, and broadsides referencing JdL's speaking activities are included.

Series VI - Notated Scores (Box 14)

Evidence of JdL's working knowledge of Labanotation is seen in this series. It is assumed that Laban's trip to Italy inspired her to choreograph and notate the first three pieces. The 1938 scores were most likely written in Budapest, Hungary. In 1967, while a faculty member at UCLA, Laban notated the last piece and dedicated it to her friends. It is not known if these dances were ever performed. The arrangement of the scores within the folder is JdL's.

Series VII - Performances (Boxes 14 - 15)

The contents of this series chronicles JdL's personal performing career as a dancer, choregrapher, director, faculty advisor, and historical dance reconstructor. There is scant documentation regarding JdL as a performer. The bulk of the materials focus on performances associated with her educational career. The folders are arranged chronologically demonstrating the natural shift that took place as she moved from being a performer to a choreographer/director. The years represented are primarily the 1940's to early 1960's when she made the final shift to her chief role as an educator. See also oversized box 56, folders 10-15.

"Secular Music and Dances of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Centuries," reconstructor (two programs, research notes, and clippings), At: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI May 12-13, 1948

Series VIII - Correspondence (Boxes 16-17)

This series is arranged alphabetically. Not all of the correspondence in the collection is contained within this series. Groups of letters pertinent to specific occasions or events have been placed appropriately in other series. For example, correspondence received and sent by JdL relating to her doctoral dissertation is to be found in the EDUCATIONAL TRAINING series. Whenever JdL has written letters of response, thoughts or reminders on the letters themselves, it has been noted.

Series IX - Miscellaneous Professional Activities (Box 18) 1939-1976

Miscellaneous materials documenting JdL's membership in professional organizations, attendance at conferences, receipt of awards, participation on committees, assistance in exhibitions, and donations to museums and libraries are found in this series. The documents are not comprehensive and do not represent the scope of JdL's professional affiliations and activities. The folders are arranged chronologically from 1939 to 1976.

Series X - Miscellaneous Research Activities (Box 18)

This series consists of miscellaneous materials documenting JdL's various research activities in the United States and abroad. These include notes taken from books, conferences, performances, and bibliographies. Slide lists and discographies show that JdL was committed to preserving of visual and aural documentation. Information on the formation of Dance Research Associates and proposals for dance research projects are also found here. Folder arrangement is chronological from the 1920's to the 1970's.